On Friday, three national religious leaders backing Huckabee — Tim LaHaye, Michael Farris and Rick Scarborough — convened a conference call with Iowa pastors to urge them to use Sunday’s services to drive up participation by Christian voters, who polls suggest favor the former Arkansas governor by comfortable margins.

As a liberal Christian, I would appreciate clear writing by reporters. The label, “Christian” is not synonymous with either “conservative” or “evangelical.” Or are we to imagine that misters Lahaye, Farris and Scarborough were also on the horn with Orthodox patriarchs plus Catholic and Episcopal priests and bishops? Given the tug of war between candidates Romney and Huckabee, and Mr. Farris’s endorsement of Mr. Huckabee, I would assume that Mormon leaders weren’t on the conference call either.

The political campaign has nothing specifically to do with homeschooling, given that homeschoolers come from the general population. But Mr. Farris’s visibility would lead many to think otherwise, and to continue the homeschooler = convervative evangelical Christan stereotype as well.

Anyway, steady yourself, Dr. G, because Iâ€™m about to reveal some even more shocking information about Gov. Huckabee. He recently told a New York Times reporter he wants The Rolling Stones to play at his inaugural. Get thee behind me, Mick!

All three are committed supporters of Mike Huckabee. An e-mail sent to Iowa pastors advertising the call doesn’t mention Huckabee — that wouldn’t be legal — but does say that pastors “have a duty” to keep their congregants “informed” and to lead them to “participate” in the caucuses.

Farris has been a senior unpaid adviser to Huckabee from day one and was key in helping to organize the families of home schoolers to attend the Republican straw poll in Ames last summer.